POWER WIRE DISCUSSION

[ravestarfx]

A tuner came to my shop this week and bought some equipment

I WILL NOT SAY WHO

and asked about power wire

insisting power wire is power wire

all wires same, cant understand why My Rockford Fosgate is more expensive

though i tried to explain why in terms of strand count, brand, etc

so i told him

i would put a global post on the ICE so that everyone can give their views on Power Wire for amplifiers

SO TUNERS

TAKE THE STAGE

LETS DISCUSS POWER WIRES, BRANDS, ADVANTAGES, etc

[audiopipe]

bk iz d way 2 go

[nigel1977]

some people will never learn. sometimes i wonder why bother...

[redsupra101]

a little common sense would be that the higher quality power wires may have
1 more strands
2 tighter strands to help prevent oxidation
3 more 'pure' metal (whatever metal used in the cables) *pure meaning no added copper/tin/lead/iron to 'stretch' the metal*
4 higher quality metal with less resistance to current and oxidation as well


any of that correct? or my common sense ghey?

[SR]

i like the jl audio 2 amp wiring kit

2 gauge with the real deal copper wire
multi strands and the cable is quite flexible and easy to work with


just remember price of copper wen up so you do get value for money when buying the more expensive wiring kits

[nigel1977]

i see some 4awg these days lookking like high end 7awg yes.
is either copper getting real expensive or pple jus sellin real sheit wires and john public dont know the difference and going for the cheapest.

[Sully]

SR, how much is that kit?

[MonsterPower]

well ravestar and sr.... one day i ran out of 4 guage wire so i asked the customer to buy a 4gage kit and bring it or the install... he bought an american bass or american pro some cheap sheit

man boastin he buy ah 1000w kit and how he good to go...when i looked at the strand count the inner wires was almost the same amount as my mtx 8guage power wire... now i only use that wire for hidden jobs cuz the outhe jacket is a plain red jacket that is thin and not as clear or see through as the cheap ones..

when i peel back a piece and compared it to the customer he made the same remark "power wire is the same"... donno how more to explain to these fellas...its the skimping on the important things that will harm u and cause u to not see the full potential of a system

[DE AUDIO]

Most people dont realize that good wires are an essential part of a good sounding/performing system. You can definately have high end speakers and ampifiers but if you do not have good wires and rca's you would never get the best quality out of the equipment.

You dont have to buy the most expensive wires and rca's but i reccommend you buy a reputable brand such as the ever popular PG, Streetwires, Stinger, Efx, Jl, RF and so on.

Remember as well Monster Car Audio will also be available in Trinidad very soon - the most reputable, quality driven wires and accessories company.

[SR]

SR, how much is that kit?

its about $800
a little expensive but it has one of the best fuse holder's i have ever used
its the easiest one to install in the engine compartment and can connect with multiple angles

[JL]

I installed the JL Audio wiring kit weekend. Its a Really nice set ah wires...

The 2 Awg is real tightly packed fine strand wire. The fuse block as SR say is a piece of art. The wire is very flexible and easy to bend, cut and route. All wires come with pre crimped ends too!

As for wires.... Surprisingly Audioipe really surprised me. I was using EFX wire for power and strangely enough the wire got real black inside after about 1 year. Also the insulation got really sticky on the outside and started to look stink.

The Audiopipe wire I had remained good, no oxidisation and the insulation has not broken down.

But I have upgraded to the JL Audio now. The quality of the wires are great. The kit comes with enough wires for 2 amps, complete with grounding connections, fuse block, distribution block and a cool grounding block.

[~snYper~]

Another thing to note is that the cables offer the beefy 12awg look are actually 18awg worth of wire strands with bout 2mm of insulation wrapping it....

...nice marketing hype I guess

[nigel1977]

audiopipe especially, have real real thick insulation, but real skimpy strand count.

these days very few manuf making quality cables, even stinger looking skimpy.

[OffshoreMarketing]

^^ lol used some gsi 0 guage its nto bad also

[nigel1977]

its the same reason i stopped using 8awg yes, cheap 4awg fits into 8awg ports with MINIMAL trimming required.

[MonsterPower]

but nigel sometimes space and neatness dictates that 8ga be used... i guess i am just used to the wide array of wires here...

btw i'd recommend mtx wires anyday... it cheap and damn good wires ..the strands are soft and flexible not hard and does chook yuh ... to me that is a next mark in good wires

[nigel1977]

youve never used san francisco cables (earthquake)... dais why yuh sayin dat. they still have the best 8,4, and 2 awg ive seen

[audiopipe]

soundplus have some nice wire i noe ah top installer in south dat uses it

[nigel1977]

define "top installer"

[SR]

does it make a difference

the discusion is on wire not installers

people does want to spend thousands on good equipment and speakers but refuse to spend 1000 on some good wires

[nigel1977]

whick brings me back to the point i'm trying to make.

as an installer, i make it my responsibility to advise my customer properly on everything from fuse type to amplifier mounting based on the knowledge that i have or have access to.

if im such a "top installer" then, i wouldn't be using low quality wiring on my customers' vehicle now would i.
i wouldn't use wire that looks 2 sizes smaller than what i know is needed because i understand and appreciate that conductivity is ultimately proportional to the product of c.s.a and number of strands. i would also know that power wires with fatter and fewer strands and less desirable than those of finer and more bundled strands.

but then again, thats me. at the end of the day,(perhaps by nature of the type of customer that im fortunate to have or choose to associate with) i insist on the finer things in an install.... proper wire size, proper fused power and ground distribution, proper connectors, loom, etc etc, but like i said thats me, and from the looks of it, few installers share my sentiments...

[SR]

not all installers have much electical knowledge and some only look at sales

[nigel1977]

thats why i asked for a defiition of top installer..... certainly it can't be ....one that does plenty work.......

[- Rovin's car audio -]

er - i dont want 2 make a whole new thread 4 this eh , but some ppl argue that grounding off on seatbelt bolted 2 d chassic is NOT a good grounding point

anything wrong with dat provided that u had sanded off any paint around d bolt where u attached u ground wires ?????....

[nigel1977]

many times the nut for the seatbelt bolt is either tac welded or it rests in a groove.
either way, it isnt properly attached to the chassis of the car. either chassis or a large steel panel

[nigel1977]

seat belt bolt and seat bolt is different as you rightly said. the seat bolt is also sometimes in a groove. if you must use the seat bolt, make sure that it is welded to the car!!!!!

[MonsterPower]

to my best knowledge and what i have been privvy to learn up here .. the reason many installers insist on making their own grounds is that it will be more secure and also cleaned and touchinghh the piece of metal they choose... a 8ga ring terminal and a short self tapping screw will assure that u get it firm with no chance of noise
also i was told that when an installer make their own ground they choose an spot that is nice and inconspicous which makes for a nice neat install.. when u run teh wires out to teh seatbelt or the seat then it will show.. no matter how u try to avoid that it will show.. and another thing is that in teh case that teh seat is to be removed teh person removing it may leave out that wire thinking it is of no use or that the amp is not in use.. this may be true if the dealer is doing servicing in teh car and teh seat has to come out for some weired reason.. its always best to stay clear of any moving parts and as hidden as possible

[nigel1977]

b.t.w moster, for the breif period i was an installer for peel auto radio, i convinced them to stop using that self tapping screw. its a lazy assed idea thats prone to failure simple cus a self tapping screw can run slack!!!
personally i prefer to use things like shock mount bolts (not the shock bolt itself) and other direct metal bolts rather than a tac welded nut. again, that bit about choosing your own ground is lazy, cuz installers dont want to spend time looking for proper ground.

american shop installers are typically lazy and will find a gazillion reasons to justify it. and we have some trinis who following suit.

[- Rovin's car audio -]

i too was wondering about "self tap screw" idea cause when bass hitting daily , things in ur car does get slack (like 3 days after i did my install my rv mirror broke off) & dat ground screw will def get slack in a wk time if so long ....

[pete]

personally i prefer to use things like shock mount bolts (not the shock bolt itself) and other direct metal bolts rather than a tac welded nut. again, that bit about choosing your own ground is lazy, cuz installers dont want to spend time looking for proper ground.

weey.. and I used that point for my amp cuz I didn't know anywhere else in my trunk that would work. actually was expecting to get boofed for usin it yes.